Bertha Bridget Kankam (born January 25, 1990), better known by her stage name Yaa Yaa, is a Ghanaian singer-songwriter and recording artist.[2] Prior to her current stage name, she performed under her first name, Bertha.[3]
Yaa Yaa | |
|---|---|
 Yaa Yaa Performing at UMOJA[1] | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bertha Bridget Kankam |
| Also known as | Bertha |
| Born | January 25, 1990 Kumasi, Ghana |
| Origin | Kumasi, Ghana |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | yaayaaworld |
Early life
editBertha Bridget Kankam was born in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region to Ghanaian parents being one of five children. Yaa Yaa lived in Kumasi her entire life until moving to Accra to start her career in the reality television series ‘Stars of the Future’. After successfully completing the ‘Stars of the Future’ series, Yaa Yaa enrolled at University of Ghana, Legon in the School of Performing Arts. She majored in Theatre with a minor in Music.
Musical career
editYaa Yaa started her career as Bertha, auditioning for ‘Stars of the Future’ in 2009 with Whitney Houston's song, ‘Greatest Love of All’. She and her brother, Kankam, after they both auditioned in Kumasi, Ghana, made it to the semi-finals. Yaa Yaa was picked as one of the final 12, but unfortunately her brother was unable to contest further in the competition. She went on to win the competition.[4] Yaa Yaa considers the win the starting point of her career. One of her prizes of winning ‘Stars of the Future’ was the privilege of being an MTN Ambassador for one year. Her tenure with them was successful and MTN continued to renew her contract consecutively for the next two years following her win.[5] As organizers of the reality television show, Charter House managed Yaa Yaa for two years.[6][7]
Her first two singles were; ‘Am I' featuring Sarkodie,[8] then ‘Incredible’ written by Chase.[9] She then followed with a feature on a song by Okyeame Kwame "Faithful" which shot her to fame. Afterwards, she remained an independent artist until starting her own label, Pyramid Entertainment, which she currently runs.[10] Her other songs are "Kae",[11] "Dumb Drum"[12] and "Koryor".[13]
Her debut album ''AGOO'' was launched at a private event in Accra in February 2020.[14]
Artistry
editYaa Yaa boasts of a diverse vocal range but settles within the genres of Soul, R&B, and Highlife music. She plays the guitar and xylophone. Yaa Yaa's music is written and sung in both English and Twi. She admits most of her songs are derived from personal experiences.
Her debut album ''Agoo'' was live studio recorded.[14]
Influences
editYaa Yaa's musical inspiration is derived strongly from Western influences. Her other musical influences are Anita Baker, Brandy, Sade, Aretha Franklin, Aṣa and Whitney Houston. She seeks artists with similar voice textures to hers and gleans from their experiences to enrich her own.
Discography
edit| Year | Title | Production credit | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Am I (feat Sarkodie) | n/a | [15] |
| 2016 | Kae | [16] | |
| Incredible | [17] | ||
| Koryor | [18] | ||
| 2017 | Dumb Drum | Yaa Yaa | [19] |
| Life (feat FanteFante) | n/a | [20] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Event | Category | Recipient/Nominated Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Vodafone Ghana Music Awards | Record of the Year | Yaa Yaa – Dumb Drum | Nominated | [21] |
| Best Female Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Best Music Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | Record of the Year | Yaa Yaa – Mmusuo | Nominated | [22] | |
| Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Music for Good | Won | [23] |
References
edit- ^ "Photos: Yaa Yaa treats patrons to an awesome performance at Umoja Africa – Proudly Ghanaian! – EnewsGH". enewsgh.com.
- ^ "Yaa Yaa responds to Nana Ama Mcbrown's advice to show a bit of skin in her videos". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "I'm a proud virgin - Ghanaian musician | Entertainment 2015-11-26". mobile.ghanaweb.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ "Stars of the Future auditions begin | Entertainment News". Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ Online, Peace FM. "Bertha Wins Stars of the Future Season 4". m.peacefmonline.com.
- ^ "Bertha To Prove Herself @ Night of 1010 Laughs & Music". mobile.ghanaweb.com. November 30, 2001.
- ^ "Efya, Bertha, D Cryme, Zigi Performs at Stars of the Future Finale". May 17, 2011.
- ^ "Bertha ft Sarkodie – Am i.mp3 {Ghana} – Everything Music!". Favouritehitz.com. March 28, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ "Bertha – - Incredible". Ghanacinema.com. May 27, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ "Pyramid Entertainment Records". Cduniverse.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ "Yaa Yaa (Bertha) – Kae". GhanaNdwom.com. May 21, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ Francis Banks Amissah. "Premiere: Yaa Yaa – Dumb Drum". TalkMediaGhana.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ "AUDIO: Yaa Yaa - Koryor | www.beatznation.com |". Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Yaa Yaa launches debut album; Agoo | Ghana Music | News Flash, February 18, 2020, retrieved February 19, 2020
- ^ "Bertha ft Sarkodie – Am i.mp3 {Ghana} – Everything Music!". FavouriteHitz. Seth Kwame Glover. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Yaa Yaa (Bertha) – Kae". Ghana Ndwom. Epic Metrix. May 21, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Incredible (2016) – Yaa Yaa". 7Digital. 7digital. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Yaa Yaa – Koryor – TalkMediaGhana". Talk Media Ghana. TalkMediaGhana. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Listen: Songstress Yaa Yaa out with 'Dumb Drum'". MyJoyOnline. Ernest Dela Aglanu. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Yaa Yaa – Life (feat. FanteFante)". BeatzNation. BeatzNation. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Full list of Nominees for 2016 Ghana Music Awards MyJoyOnline.com". MyJoyOnline. MyJoyOnline. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "VGMA22: See the list of nominees". MyJoyOnline. MyJoyOnline. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ Editor 1 (June 25, 2021). "#VGMA22: Yaa Yaa emerges 'Music for Good' winner". 3news. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)